Aten is the sun. In the Amarna Period he was Akhenaton's single god. He was a god but he was never well known. Before the Amarna Period he was seen as a man with a falcon's head in front of the sun disk. During the Amarna Period he was seen as a solar disk with many rays coming down from it. At the end of each ray was a hand holding ankh-signs. Ankh-signs symbolized life, so the sun holding them was symbolizing the sun giving life. During the reign of Akhenaton, Aten was the head and only god.
